Join events this week to help save Beirut heritage sites

Beirut activists are fighting hard to preserve two of the city’s key heritage sites and you can support them by attending a series of events they have prepared this week. The events are actually FREE (another endangered thing in Beirut) so all you have to do is show up. Scroll down for full schedule.

The two endangered sites are Dalieh of Raouche peninsula, the only remaining natural headland in Beirut with a 7,000 year history; and Heneine Palace, one of the largest and only remaining buildings from the 1800s left in the city today. Both sites are threatened by private developers. Both sites are part of vanishing historic neighborhoods. Both sites tell a story-a million stories- about us, our ancestors, our city, our country, our humanity. Both sites need your support, your pictures, your social media posts, your feet on the ground, to demonstrate that these places are important, valued and popular enough that demolishing them will cause a public uproar.

A mega seafront project was planned for Dalieh, but activist multi-pronged legal, design and research efforts have helped slow that. Meanwhile Heneine Palace is located in the heart of one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, Zokak el Blatt, which is rapidly being erased by glass towers, gentrification and real estate barons. Neither site is safe however, and activists need all the volunteers, voices, shares and feet they can get.

It all starts with an opening this Thursday at 4PM at Antwork (located on Spears road across from Future TV just before BarBar on the left) where you can pick up fliers and more info. It is followed by an exhibition at the ministry of tourism hamra exhibition space (yes activists are taking over the ministry, peacefully this time). Other events will be taking place in Mansion (take a right after Bar Bar spears and head up the street with old mansions falling apart– it’s the yellow old mansion still in one piece. )

Here’s the full schedule below the map. Tell your friends, your cousins. Bring your mother. Scroll down to the end of post for event posters and GIFs at the end. Share, share, share.

Thursday, May 18th

Official Watch Day Launch and press conference for Dalieh and Heneine4:00pm, Antwork

Dalieh Exhibition launch6:00 pm, Glass Hall, Ministry of Tourism. The exhibition will continue until the 27th of MayThe work of the winners of 2015’s Dalieh Ideas Competition “Revisiting Dalieh: Calling for Alternative Visions along Beirut’s Coast” will be displayed alongside the work of universities, students and artists engaged with the coast.

Exhibition launch: Zokak el-Blat Experiments – Heneine Palace and Other PossibilitiesMansion, 9:00am to 9:00pm daily, until the 21st of May – Launch at 7:00pmIncludes a virtual tour of the Heneine Palace – Models produced by school students during heritage workshops – Architecture projects produced by university students from USEK – Screening of film “Mapping Place Narratives: Beyhum Street” – Heritage situation overview by Save Beirut Heritage

Guided Tours of Zokak el-BlatFirst departure at 3:00pm, last departure at 6:00pm.
A tour takes around 1:30
Meeting points: Grand Sérail, Al-Hout Mosque, National Evangelical Church
A fewer number of tours could be provided on Sunday 21st

Readings, organized by the International Writers’ House in Beirut6:30pm to 8:00pm, Mansion
Readings by Fadi Tofeili and Mounzer Baalbaki, followed by a debate

Exhibition: Zokak el-Blat Experiments – Heneine Palace and Other PossibilitiesMansion,9:00am to 7:30pm, until the 21st of May

In Dalieh

Candle-lit night vigil from Ramlet El Baida to DaliehMeeting point at 6:30pm in front of the ‘Eden Rock’ project in Ramlet Baida

Open Air Film Screening of “Children of Beirut” by Sarah Srage8:30pm, Dalieh

Boat Tours with Dalieh’s FishermenEvery hour and a half, First departure at 11:00am., last departure at 5:00pm., from Dalieh’s port. Reservations and name registration on the day at the Dalieh info booth

On site Tours by members of the Dalieh CampaignEvery two hours, First tour at 11:00 am, last tour at 5:00pm
Meeting point and registration on the day at the Dalieh info booth

Literary tour, organized by the International Writers’ House in Beirut10:30am to 12:30pm, in Zokak el-Blat, meeting point at the Bachoura CemeteryA walk of the neighborhood during which Fadi Tofeili will comment, from passages of his books, the places that he mentions in his writings.

Guided Tours of Zokak el-Blat (To be confirmed)First departure at 3:00pm. A tour takes around 1h30
To be confirmed – Number of tours to be determined according to attendance

Feel free to share. Hashtags are #WatchDalieh #WatchHeneine

Use of Dalieh is believed to date back to the copper age (5,000BCE) and the site is also reportedly mentioned in ancient Greek myths.